Welcome, Matte: A Shine-Proof Makeup Strategy for July 4th Weekend

Just in time for a summer heat wave, a new generation of matte makeup promises a look as fresh as a crisp white dress. That’s because the latest formulas aren’t “about powdery or one-dimensional color,” says London makeup artist Florence White, “but a complexion that’s healthy and hydrated without appearing too shiny.” The secret, she adds, is playing with points of matte pigment on the face, rather than one all-over uniform veil.

Limiting shine-stopping efforts to the T-zone, for example, will help cheekbones keep a natural hint of dewiness, which plays off nicely against a dab of flat blush on the apples. A bit of Nars’s sunny Matte Multiple in Anguilla on lips and cheeks will withstand a dip in the ocean, whereas MAKE’s powder holds up best on a steamy afternoon.

White, who is the woman behind **Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’**s photo-ready, flash-proof seaside glow at Cannes, likes to skip powder altogether, instead smoothing an oil-free primer onto the forehead, nose, and chin to “help foundation melt right in and look translucent in bright sunlight.”

While a classic red like Bobbi Brown’s Art Stick crayon in Harlow Red conjures up images of Babe Paley lazing poolside in the shade, Illamasqua’s new Matte Lip Liquid—a high-tech formula that looks like a gloss but goes on like a supersaturated cream—has a surreal Technicolor appeal. Neatly painted or breezily pressed into the lips with a fingertip, they’re a bold statement worth making over the July 4th holiday weekend.